July 6
Richard III and Queen Anne Crowned at Westminster Abbey
Richard III and his wife Anne Neville were crowned king and queen of England in a joint ceremony at Westminster Abbey that affirmed his contested claim amid the closing stages of the Wars of the Roses.
Summary
Following the death of his brother Edward IV in April 1483, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, moved swiftly to secure the throne amid claims that Edward's sons were illegitimate. Parliament invited him to assume the crown on June 26. Preparations for the joint coronation with his wife Anne Neville proceeded rapidly at Westminster Abbey. On July 6, the ceremony unfolded with great pomp before much of the English peerage, including the procession from the Tower of London the previous day. Richard and Anne were anointed and crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury in a double ceremony that underscored the new regime's legitimacy.
Context
The Wars of the Roses had pitted the houses of York and Lancaster against each other for decades, with Richard's elder brother Edward IV securing the throne in 1461 and ruling until his sudden death on 9 April 1483. Edward left two young sons, the elder of whom was proclaimed Edward V, but arrangements for his coronation were overtaken by political maneuvering. Richard, Duke of Gloucester, had been named Lord Protector and moved quickly to neutralize opposition, including the arrest of key Woodville relatives of the queen dowager.
What Happened
An assembly of lords and commoners met in late June 1483 and endorsed a declaration, later known as Titulus Regius, asserting that Edward IV's marriage had been invalid and his children illegitimate. Richard was proclaimed king on 26 June. Preparations for the coronation advanced rapidly, culminating on 5 July when the royal couple processed in state from the Tower of London to Westminster. The following day, 6 July, Richard and Anne walked barefoot on a red carpet from Whitehall to Westminster Hall and then into the Abbey, accompanied by much of the English peerage.
Aftermath
Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, anointed and crowned the couple in a double ceremony. Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond, carried the queen's train; her son Henry Tudor would later defeat Richard at Bosworth. The traditional coronation banquet followed in Westminster Hall. Within weeks the young princes, now lodged in the Tower, ceased to be seen in public.
Legacy
Richard's brief reign ended with his death at the Battle of Bosworth on 22 August 1485, bringing the Tudor dynasty to power and ending Plantagenet rule. Tudor chroniclers and later dramatists such as Shakespeare shaped a hostile portrait of the king, while the coronation itself stands as a formal assertion of legitimacy during a period of acute dynastic uncertainty.
Why It Matters
The coronation formalized Richard's contested claim during the Wars of the Roses, setting the stage for his brief reign and the eventual Tudor victory at Bosworth two years later. It highlighted the fragility of dynastic succession in late medieval England and influenced later historical narratives about Richard's rule.
Related Questions
Why was Richard III's claim to the throne contested?
Richard's accession rested on the assertion, set out in Titulus Regius, that his brother Edward IV's marriage was bigamous and therefore invalid, rendering Edward's children illegitimate.
Who performed the coronation?
Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, anointed and crowned both Richard and Anne in the Abbey.
What happened to Edward V and his brother after the coronation?
The two princes, lodged in the Tower of London, disappeared from public view within weeks and were never seen again.
How long did Richard III reign?
Richard ruled for just over two years, from his proclamation in June 1483 until his death at Bosworth Field in August 1485.
Who bore Queen Anne's train during the ceremony?
Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and mother of the future Henry VII, carried the queen's train.
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Sources
- Richard III of England, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-07-01.
- Richard III, Westminster Abbey. Accessed 2026-07-01.